Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-11-26
CARTER HARRusON,s BATH.
Strange Things ChicagO's ex.Mayon
Finds % Write AhOus In japan.

Hon. Carter Fl. Harrison, in a letter TO the Chi
csgo Mail from Hiogo. Japan, says OF the japanese
people: We have passed vast acres OF cultivated
fields and seen many thousands Of people engaged
In their daily occupations We have slept In their
houses and eaten Of their food. We have seen them
reeking In sweat, but never In filth We have seen
them In hilarious mirth-never once In violent an
ger We have seen them In their nakedness, but
never once in anything like lewdness. We have
seen them I'm toiling poverty. but have never seen
single look or sullenness or Of despair. We have
seen them IN abject poverty; we have never seen
them begging aims, except in q few instances OF
total blindness and decrepit age. We have seen
them Ia every way shocking all Ideas
single look or expression which would show that
any one was aware things were being done which
modesty would forbid.
we have met women In the highway naked
down to the hips, and saw no look that betokened
single thought OF shame, and within few hun
woman, whose yes would drop In pretty modesty
because We gave her q look OF Involuntary admira-
ton. There is here no such thing as conventional
spects very bigh--the people still seem to be- TO
certain extent, IN state OF animal nature. Is tle
awakened by sense OF sin? The psycho,ogist
must solve the problem and answer the query; I
cannot. am stu in a species Of amazemeni among
this inconsistent this great this little this bright
and yet groveling, immoral people.
he TkKEs A BATH.
He describes his bath at a Japanese hotel
''Then one OF the girls tells US the bath ia ready
We undress and put on a robe. A girl shows US to
the bathroom. IL is down stairs and has only an
open Japanese screen 10 shut on the gaze OF the
habitGes OF the house. The tub is a round wooden
vat about four feet deep. You put your foot In to
hue OF a boiled lobster. You nearly shrek. The
girl laughs and empties a pail OF cold water In.
You then wait for her to go out. She does not
bulge. You can't to save you, think of japanese
enough to tel her TO git. Finally by lot Of awk-
ward signs, you get her beyond the screen. But
not an inch farther. There she stands and waits,
as innocently as did good old Eve when Adam
poured into her willing ears his first declaration OF
undying affection.
There are things that try mems souls and can
for heroic courage. One can scale the bristhng
wall, can march into the mouth Of q hot-throated
cannon, can mount the scaffold with the shining
ak glistening in the sun. can tell the girl he loves
maiden speech in the House Of Representatives.
But these are easy tasks compared TO that OF get
ting into a hot bath with pretty japanese girl
looking at you through rattan screen-looktng at
you TOO with as much sang froid as II she was see
ing three-months-old baby stripped OF It's little
Finally patience gives out, you drop your robe
and jump In. Good heavens, the pail OF cold water
did cool the thing, but the furnace is still adding
calor1c. You feel much as did the poor japanese
martyrs when, few hundred years ago. the
heather wretches boiled them into grease. You
thoroughly clothed; l. e.. clothed in scarlet skin.
All, these are things which try mems souls.
After the bath partitions are drawn between the
several compartments, and we lie down to sleep.
We get into n dose. Then we hear noise as II
two or three freight trains were being switched on
the floor. The outside wooden screens, which close
the house in, are being put In. said the house is
open on all Sides but at bedtime IL Is all shut up
by means Of sliding screens which, during the
day, are hidden in inches in the walls.
BY this time we begin 10 itch. They say f1eas
abound In Japan. l have not seen single one.
But; when wakeful, imagination or reality has
made them crawl about me IN reckless redun-
dancy. AT last We get to Sleep and early the next
morning take our breakfast.
JAPANESE FARMING.
Speaking of farming he says: Everything Is on
such small scale and is carried on with such
wonderful liceness that one can scarcely realize
that farming here is the business Of a life and
very earnest and hard business at that. There
are no such things as farm-houseS; all live In vii.
lagos or towns There are no such things as barns
or outhouses In which TO store crops. Many farms
are not one acre In size, and comparatively few
over ten acres. As one crop begins TO ripen some
get good start before the outgoing crop has been
removed. Even on the tea plantations when con-
sisting OF small plants, have JurnIps, tarro and
other crop been planted between the rows as soon
as the July plucking is finished
Here permit Inc TO add special line as to the
chrysanthemum-the natural flower and the crest
OF the mikado. There are many varieties The
largest they keep down TO one or two blooms to
the stalk. measured one here six and One-cuar-
ter inches In diameter, OF perfect form, and ex-
qulsteIy pure and white. IL was the favorfte
Hover OF my mother, and has therefore attracted
piece, are grown on rounded bushes OF considera-
Die size, and cover the bush almost SOlidly. They
are now Just coming well into season, and are dis
played In the commonest houses"